


A Moment Chirps Its Little Strain

by MistressofHappyEndings



Series: Poetry in Motion [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Caring For Your Partner, M/M, ambiguous timeline, quiet moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:53:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressofHappyEndings/pseuds/MistressofHappyEndings
Summary: Just a quiet moment between lovers
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Series: Poetry in Motion [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923037
Comments: 8
Kudos: 174





	A Moment Chirps Its Little Strain

**Author's Note:**

> I love Joe, I really do, but these two seem to have my heart right now. I promise I'll get to Joe soon. Until then, enjoy!
> 
> ~~~~

Booker stretched his arms above his head and twisted his spine until he heard a satisfying pop. He’d been hunched over in front of his laptop for hours now, combing through the web in search of their next mission. Although his sore back and equally sore eyes might disagree with him, he found the work fascinating and could – and had – lost hours scouring all corners of the internet, learning many things along the way. Booker didn’t understand why the others were so adamantly against new technology, but as it gave him the excuse to experiment and explore, he didn’t protest it too much. 

The creak of the stairs outside the small room he’d holed up in make Booker look up. Nicky stood in the doorway, eyes slumberous, bedhead in full effect, clutching two steaming mugs in his hands. Booker smiled when he saw that Nicky had once again nicked one of his shirts, a dark, long-sleeved henley, to sleep in. It was just a little too big for his more slender frame, but it suited the rest of his disheveled look of bare feet and worn sleep pants. Joe would do this on occasion, too, and the sight of either of his lovers in his clothes never failed to send a pleasant little shiver of possessiveness through Booker. Just as it did now. 

Nicky raised one hand and yawned into his elbow before he shuffled into the room and offered one of the mugs to the seated man. Booker took it, catching Nicky’s hand to press a brief kiss to the back of it before letting him have it back. Nicky’s lips curved upward in a sleepy grin, and he tilted forward to land a kiss on Booker’s cheek. Cradling his own mug close to his chest, Nicky then slipped gracefully to the floor to sit at Booker’s feet. He leaned against the younger man’s legs and took a sip of his drink. 

Booker looked down at the top of the dark head and asked fondly, “Couldn’t sleep?” 

“Cold,” Nicky mumbled after a few seconds delay, nuzzling into his knee. “What are you doing in here?” 

“Boss is getting restless, so I thought I’d find us another mission,” Booker answered. He sighed and flexed his cramped fingers. “Most of the things I’ve found so far don't seem like our kind of thing. There are one or two things that wouldn't hurt to be checked out anyway, but I’ll keep looking until I find something Andy will appreciate.” 

He blew across the top of his steaming mug before he took a sip. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise when, instead of the coffee he'd expected, he tasted hot chocolate instead. And not ordinary cocoa, but a special blend of chocolate and cinnamon he’d fallen in love with a few years back when they’d been in Mexico. The next winter, he had been frustrated when he hadn’t been able to replicate the recipe, and he had resigned himself to having to wait until their next trip to Mexico to experience it properly again. 

Much to his delight, he had been wrong. Nicky had presented him a cup a few days later that had miraculously tasted identical to the one he’d enjoyed in the small Mexican village. To this day, Booker still couldn’t get it right himself, but as Nicky was always happy to oblige him, he didn’t worry about it too much. It was exactly what he needed right now, and somehow, it didn’t surprise him that Nicky knew that. 

“Thank you, _mon couer_ ,” he murmured and dropped a kiss to the top of Nicky’s head. Nicky hummed and pressed a small kiss of his own against the outside of his knee. 

Booker watched his older lover in the blue glow of the computer screen as he drank the gift Nicky had brought him, enjoying the quiet peace between them for a few moments. He kept expecting the other man to move, but Nicky seemed content to rest where he was. So, with one last, savoring sip of his drink, Booker turned back to his laptop and continued his search for an Andy-worthy mission, occasionally interrupting his typing to scrawl something down on a notepad when it looked promising. 

Nicky just sat there, a warm, pleasant weight against Booker’s leg, listening to him work and slowing reaching the bottom of his mug. By the time he’d finished his drink, he felt a bit more awake and Booker was still diligently researching and writing things down. Nicky sighed as the younger immortal’s dedication and stood up from his comfortable spot on the floor. He combed his fingers through Booker’s hair, smiling down at him when Booker looked up, a questioning look on his face. 

“Come to bed, _caro mio_.” He shook his head chidingly when Booker started to protest. “You’ve been at this all night. A few hours of sleep will make your search all the easier come the morning.” 

Nicky took Booker’s face between his hands and swept his thumbs in gentle arcs over the dark circles beneath the tired, but no less beautiful, green eyes. “Come to bed,” he repeated softly. “It is cold without you, and we miss having you to hold.” 

All of Booker’s objections died in his throat when faced with such an eloquent plea. Nodding, he took a moment to shut down the laptop and close the notebook. When he stood up, he stumbled a little after having been seated for so long. Nicky steadied him then took his hand and led him down the hallway, back to where Joe waited with open arms and a sleep-warm bed.


End file.
